Cleaning wipe

ABSTRACT

A cleaning wipe comprising a nonwoven fabric wherein the nonwoven fabric is impregnated with a cleaning composition.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric which has beenimpregnated with a liquid cleaning composition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The patent literature describes numerous wipes for both bodycleaning and cleaning of hard surfaces but none describe the instantcleaning wipes which have improved cleaning characteristics in theminimization of streaking and residue.

[0003] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,756,612; 5,763,332; 5,908,707; 5,914,177;5,980,922 and 6,168,852 teach cleaning compositions which are inverseemulsions.

[0004] U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,183,315 and 6,183,763 teach cleaningcompositions containing a proton donating agent and having an acidic pH.

[0005] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,863,663; 5,952,043; 6,063,746 and 6,121,165teaches cleaning compositions which are oil in water emulsions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A cleaning wipe for cleaning hard surfaces such as keep countertops, cabinets, furniture and floors comprises a nonwoven fabriccontaining at least polyester fibers and viscose fibers, wherein is thenonwoven fabric is impregnated with a liquid cleaning compositioncontaining a metallic salt of a fatty acid, an alkali metal hydroxide, ahydroxy sultaine surfactant, a perfume, an amine oxide surfactant, andwater, wherein the liquid cleaning composition is not an emulsion anddoes not contain proteins, enzymes, amides, sodium hypochlorite,dimethicone, a proton donating agent, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, monoalkylphosphate or silicon based sulfosuccinate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention relates to a cleaning wipe for hardsurfaces which comprises approximately:

[0008] (a) 20 wt. % to 40 wt. % of a nonwoven fabric which consists ofat least polyester fibers and viscose fibers and preferably consists of60 wt. % to 95 wt. % of wood pulp fibers, 2.5 wt. % to 20 wt. % ofviscose fibers and 2.5 wt. % to 20 wt. % of polyester fibers; and

[0009] (b) 60 wt. % to 80 wt. % of a liquid cleaning composition beingimpregnated in said nonwoven fabric, wherein said liquid cleaningcomposition comprises:

[0010] (i) 0.5 to 35 wt. % of at least one alkaline metal salt of afatty acid having about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms such as that in atall oil fatty acid;

[0011] (ii) 0.1 to 2.5 wt. % of an alkali metal hydroxide;

[0012] (iii) 0.02 to 2.0 wt. % of a sultaine;

[0013] (iv) 0.02 to 2.0 wt. % of an amine oxide;

[0014] (v) 0.005 to 3 wt. % of a C₁-C₄ alkanol having about 1 to about 5carbon atoms;

[0015] (vi) 0 to 0.4 wt. %, more preferably 0.01 wt. % to 0.25 wt. % ofhydroxy ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid;

[0016] (vii) 0.01 wt. % to 1.5 wt. % of a perfume; and

[0017] (viii) the balance being water, wherein the composition has a pHof about 9 to about 13, at a concentration of about 10 grams of thecomposition in 100 ml. of water, a specific gravity at 20° C. of about0.95 to 1.10 g/cm³.

[0018] The preferred long chain unsaturated fatty acids of the instantinvention have about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms, more preferably about10 to about 20 carbon atoms. A preferred unsaturated fatty acid mixtureis a refined tall oil fatty acid. A typical tall oil fatty acid containsa mixture of a mono unsaturated C₁₆₋₁₈ fatty acid; a C₁₆₋₁₈ dieneunsaturated fatty acid; a C₁₆₋₁₈ triene unsaturated fatty acid; and aC₁₆₋₁₈ saturated fatty acid. Other unsaturated fatty acids that areusable in the instant compositions are unsaturated vegetable oil fattyacids, including soy, peanut, corn, cottonseed, linseed and refinedoleic fatty acids, and fatty acids consisting predominantly of C₁₈(average) unsaturated fatty acids and mixtures thereof. The unsaturatedfatty acid reacts in situ with the alkali metal hydroxide to form thealkali metal salt of the unsaturated fatty acid.

[0019] The composition contains about 0.02 to about 2.0 wt. % of anamine oxide, more preferably about 0.05 to about 1.5 wt. % and mostpreferably about 0.1 to about 1.0 wt. %. The preferred amine oxide iscocoamido-propylamine oxide. The amine oxide is depicted by the formula:

[0020] wherein R₁ is an alkyl, 2-hydroxyalkyl, 3-hydroxyalkyl, or3-alkoxy-2-hydroxypropyl radical in which the alkyl and alkoxy,respectively, contain from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms; R₂ and R₃are each methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, 2-hydroxyethyl,2-hydroxypropyl, hydroxypropyl, or 3-hydroxypropyl; and n is from 0 toabout 10. Particularly preferred are amine oxides of the formula:

[0021] wherein R₁ is a C₁₂₋₁₈ alkyl and R₂ and R₃ are methyl or ethyl.The above ethylene oxide condensates, amides, and amine oxides are morefully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,824 (Pancheri), incorporatedherein by reference. An especially preferred amine oxide is depicted bythe formula:

[0022] wherein R₁ is a saturated or unsaturated alkyl group having about6 to about 24 carbon atoms, R₂ is a methyl group, and R₃ is a methyl orethyl group. The preferred amine oxide is cocoamidopropyl-dimethylamineoxide.

[0023] The composition also contains about 0.02 to about 2.0 wt. %, morepreferably about 0.05 to about 1.5 wt. % and most preferably about 0.1to about 1.0 wt. % of a sultaine which is preferably acocoamido-propylhydroxy sultaine. The sultaine can be depicted by theformula:

[0024] wherein R₁ is a saturated or unsaturated alkyl group having about6 to about 24 carbon atoms, R₂ is a methyl or ethyl group, R₃ is amethyl or ethyl group, n is about 1 to about 6, and M⁺ is an alkalimetal cation. The most preferred hydroxysultaine is a potassium salt ofcocoamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.

[0025] The combination of the amine oxide and the sultaine functions toserve as a viscosity control agent while functioning as a means for thedispersion of lime soap.

[0026] The composition also preferably contains about 0.01 to about 1.5wt. % of a perfume, more preferably about 0.1 to about 1.0 wt. %.

[0027] As used herein and in the appended claims the term “perfume” isused in its ordinary sense to refer to and include any non-water solublefragrant substance or mixture of substances including natural (i.e.,obtained by extraction of flower, herb, blossom or plant), artificial(i.e., mixture of natural oils or oil constituents) and syntheticallyproduced substance) odoriferous substances. Typically, perfumes arecomplex mixtures of blends of various organic compounds such asalcohols, aldehydes, ethers, aromatic compounds and varying amounts ofessential oils (e.g., terpenes) such as from 0% to 80%, usually from 10%to 70% by weight, the essential oils themselves being volatileodoriferous compounds and also serving to dissolve the other componentsof the perfume.

[0028] In the present invention the precise composition of the perfumeis of no particular consequence to cleaning performance so long as itmeets the criteria of water immiscibility and having a pleasing odor.Naturally, of course, especially for cleaning compositions intended foruse in the home, the perfume, as well as all other ingredients, shouldbe cosmetically acceptable, i.e., non-toxic, hypoallergenic, etc.. Theinstant compositions show a marked improvement in ecotoxocity ascompared to existing commercial products.

[0029] The cleaning composition of this invention may, if desired, alsocontain other components either to provide additional effect or to makethe product more attractive to the consumer. The following are mentionedby way of example: Colors or dyes in amounts up to 0.5% by weight;preservatives or antioxidizing agents, such as formalin,5-bromo-5-nitro-dioxan-1,3; 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothal iazolin-3-one,2,6-di-tert.butyl-p-cresol, etc., in amounts up to 2% by weight; and pHadjusting agents, such as sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide, as needed.

[0030] The cleaning compositions are prepared by simple batch mixing at25° C.-30° C. The nonwoven fabric is impregnated with the liquid woodcleaning composition by means of a positive impregnation process. Theliquid is positively fed into the nonwoven fabric through a controlledgear pump and injection bar at a ratio of about 2 grams of liquid glasscleaning composition to about 1 gram of the nonwoven fabric.

[0031] The nonwoven fabric is formed from 10 wt. % to 90 wt. % ofviscose fibers and 10 wt. % to 90 wt. % of polyester fibers such asSpunlace made by the Dexter Corporation or Hydraspun (Dexter). Morepreferably the nonwoven fabric comprises 10 wt. % to 95 wt. % of woodpulp fibers, 1 wt. % to 40 wt. % of viscose fibers and 1 wt. % to 40 wt.% of polyester fibers. Such a nonwoven fabric which is manufactured byDexter Corporation under the name Hydrapun comprises about 60% to 95% ofwood pulp fabrics, 2.5 wt. % to 20 wt. % of viscose fibers and 2.5 wt. %to 20 wt. % of polyester fibers.

[0032] The following examples illustrate liquid cleaning compositions ofthe described invention. Unless otherwise specified, all percentages areby weight. The exemplified compositions are illustrative only and do notlimit the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, theproportions in the examples and elsewhere in the specification are byweight.

EXAMPLE 1

[0033] The following compositions (in wt. %) were prepared by firstdissolving the caustic material in the water and them adding the talloil fatty acid. The balance of the ingredients are added in the orderlisted with mixing to the aqueous solution of the metal neutralized talloil fatty acid. The cleaning wipe was made by the previously describedimpregnation process. A Part I Tall oil fatty acid 16.18 KOH 45% 6.90Cocoamidopropylamine oxide 1.64 Cocoamidopropylhydroxy sultaine 1.30Hydroxy EDTA 45% solution 0.25 Perfume 0.58 Water Bal pH 10% solution12.00 Part I 74.0 Hydraspun 26.0

[0034] While particular embodiments of the invention and the best modecontemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention have beenshown, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is notlimited thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in theart, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore,contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications asincorporate those features which constitute the essential features ofthese improvements within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. A cleaning wipe which comprises approximately: (a)20 wt. % to 40 wt. % of a nonwoven fabric; and (b) 60 wt. % to 80 wt. %of a liquid cleaning composition being impregnated in said nonwovenfabric, wherein said liquid cleaning composition comprises: (i) 0.5 to35% of at least one unsaturated fatty acid having about 8 to 24 carbonatoms; (ii) 0.1 to 2.5% of an alkali metal hydroxide; (iii) 0.02 to 2.0%of an amine oxide; (iv) 0.02 to 2.0% of a sultaine; and (v) the balancebeing water.
 2. The wipe according to claim 1, further including a C₁-C₄alkanol.
 3. The wipe according to claim 1, wherein said metal hydroxideis potassium hydroxide.
 4. The wipe according to claim 3, wherein saidamine oxide is characterized by the formula:

wherein R₁ is a C₁₂₋₁₆ alkyl and R₂ and R₃ are selected from the groupconsisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, 2-hydroxethyl,2-hydroxypropyl and 3-hydroxypropyl.
 5. The wipe according to claim 4,wherein said amine oxide is cocoamido-propylamine oxide.
 6. The wipeaccording to claim 1, wherein said sultaine is characterized by theformula:

wherein n is about 1 to about 5, M⁺ is an alkali metal cation, R₂ is amethyl or ethyl group, R₃ is a methyl or ethyl group, and R₁ is asaturated or unsaturated alkyl group having about 6 to about 24 carbonatoms.
 7. The wipe according to claim 6, wherein said sultaine iscocoamido-propylhydroxy sultaine.
 8. The wipe according to claim 5,wherein said unsaturated fatty acid is a tall oil fatty acid.
 9. Thewipe according to claim 7, wherein said unsaturated fatty acid is a talloil fatty acid.
 10. The wipe according to claim 1, further includingabout 0.01 to about 1.5 wt % of a perfume.